New Delhi: Manchester City started the defence of their fourth consecutive Premier League title with a bang as Pep Guardiola’s men beat Chelsea 2-0 at Stamford Bridge. Manchester City looked dangerous from the start of the game, with City winger Savinho looking close to breaking the deadlock twice.
It was Erling Haaland, City’s top scorer from the previous season with 22 goals, who opened the tally for the visitors after a brilliant assist from Sanchez. From then on, City looked dominating as Chelsea failed to retaliate to the constant City pressing forward game. Cole Palmer created an opportunity and took his side into halftime with an equaliser when, surprisingly, he went past Ederson, and Nicolas Jackson netted the rebound. However, VAR ruled out the goal after finding Jackson on the offside
The second half began with Chelsea giving a strong fight to the top team in the Premier League. For the most of the second half, Chelsea kept testing the City’s defence. Debutant Pedro Neto was stitching together a comeback for Chelsea, but the Blues were poor with ball possession in the game. Man City almost scored a second goal in the 65th minute after Rico Lewis smashed into the Chelsea goalpost. Haaland was ruled for a foul, and the goal was ruled out.
Chelsea’s appeal for a penalty was turned down again when Malo Gusto’s effort to send the ball into the area struck Mateo Kovacic’s elbow. It was Kovacic’s goal in the 84th minute that kind of sealed CIty’s win as they extended their undefeated streak against Chelsea for the seventh time. Kovacic may not have celebrated his goal against his former club, but he has ensured that City picked up three crucial points from their opening game and extended their unbeaten streak in the Premier League for 24 games now.
Moises Caicedo received a yellow card when he tripped Doku as his frustration grew with his side. He didn’t refute the booking once, as Chelsea lost their first game of the tournament. Chelsea will next face Wolves as they try to make a better performance after their last season. They hadn’t looked consistent during the pre-season friendlies, winning only one game out of six under Enzo Maresca’s management. Though this is a long tournament, the Blues know that every point counts towards the business end.
Manchester City seems to have picked up from where they left off last season. They won the Community Shield trophy against City rivals Manchester United, though they suffered losses against minnows like Celtic in the pre-season. It was Guardiola’s 18th trophy with the side. A brand new season of the Premier League brings fresher challenges, but City have their top players back in the ranks to face those challenges. They will face Ipswich Town in their next draw. Ipswich are making a comeback in the Premier League after 21 years, and City will look to make it two out of two.
Manchester City’s dominating performance against Chelsea ensured they began their campaign strong. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
